Protecting elk, mule deer and motorists in Colorado

People come to Colorado from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the majestic wildlife of the American West.

Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, pronghorn, moose, black bear — Colorado has them all. But as anyone who has ever driven U.S. Highway 160 at night will tell you, there is one place you wouldn’t want to see any of these big animals: in the headlights of your vehicle as you come around a curve. A mature mule deer buck can tip the scales at more than 300 pounds; big bull elk can top 700 pounds.

In 2022, NFWF awarded more than $3.5 million to state and local agencies, conservation nonprofits and other stakeholders determined to support Colorado’s iconic wildlife. Some grantees are working at a landscape scale to restore and enhance tens of thousands of acres of grasslands and forests throughout the state.

Other grantees are moving fast to address immediate challenges that continue to drive declines in wildlife populations. One such threat can be found along U.S. Highway 160 east of Fort Garland. Undeveloped shrublands and woodlands along this stretch of highway offer high-quality summer and winter habitat for mule deer and elk, as well as black bears and other wildlife. But as more and more motorists use U.S. 160, the risk posed by so many large animals crossing the highway has skyrocketed. One recent study found that up to 73 percent of crashes along this stretch of highway were related to wildlife.

Building on past successes with helping migrating wildlife safely navigate highway crossings, the Colorado Department of Transportation has begun a $7.1 million project to create up to three wildlife underpasses along this deadly stretch of highway. In 2022, NFWF awarded $337,500 to the state in support of the effort.

These new underpasses, along with fencing and other infrastructure designed to ensure safe passage for wildlife, should prove to be especially beneficial to mule deer, whose populations in western Colorado have been declining since the 1970s.